The Last Right – An Uneven Emotional Roller Coaster

There’s a saying that goes, “you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family”. The Last Right is a film that tells the story of Daniel Murphy (Huisman), a tax lawyer in New York who suddenly finds himself in a world he doesn’t recognise when his mother abruptly passes away. On his way back to Ireland for his mother’s funeral, he briefly befriends an elderly Irish gentleman returning to Ireland with his brother’s body for burial. When the passengers are asked to record their next of kin, the older man decides to use Daniel’s name with hilarious consequences.

Having to return to the family and the community he was part of as a child, Daniel is forced to reconcile years of separation from his deceased mother and family members. This is the most endearing part of the film and also the most emotional. The Last Right is a film that leans more towards dramatic elements than the comical, as autism and grief are not exactly “light” topics to tackle. With minimal knowledge of autism, Bottomley’s portrayal of Louis Murphy, an autistic teenager, was a memorable one while also touching and believable.

The Irish countryside’s beauty and isolation frame the precarious situation involving Daniel, Louis and Mary Sullivan (Algar), a woman from the same township as Daniel’s mother who gets caught up in Daniel and his family’s complicated situation. In many ways, each character found themselves in foreign territory and found difficulty in navigating through the countless challenges life has thrown their way. That being said, the series of events that befell Daniel, Mary and Louis become a little tedious to watch. How long can one watch a dysfunctional family disagree? The most obvious issue with The Last Right is that it’s neither a funny film nor a serious one but places itself somewhere right in the middle. seemingly trying to be too much of one or the other which will only be confusing for the audience more than anything else.

In terms of the performances, Huisman as Daniel delivers a strong performance as the estranged son. Of course everyone should recognise Huisman while Algar is also perfectly cast as Mary, a stranger that has no connection to the Murphy family other than she is kind to Louis. Bottomley as Louis, is nothing short of amazing and many of the best scenes in the film focus on his disconnection with Daniel. He seems to want to do the right thing, but the question is whether it’s the right thing for him or his family? The film is a play on “rite”, as in someone receiving last rites when they pass away as well as doing the right thing as a person. With that in mind, it takes on the difficulties of dealing with special-needs people and grief and loss and attempts to look on the lighter side of the situation’s intricacies respectfully.

In the end, The Last Right is a solid choice for viewers who are happy to go on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. However, for those looking for something a little more light-hearted and more comical than serious, the film may not hit the right spot.

still courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment

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